Immigration centre blaze kills nine in South Korea

A fire at a South Korean detention centre today killed nine foreigners and injured 18 others, mostly Chinese, who were awaiting deportation for illegal entry.

Eight Chinese and one Uzbek were killed in the pre-dawn fire at the detention centre in Yeosu, 280 miles south of Seoul, the Justice Ministry said in a statement.

Among the injured, 16 were Chinese, one Sri Lankan and one Uzbek. Many were in a critical condition, it said.

Yeosu police initially said 10 people were dead, but one person later turned out to be alive, an official at the National Emergency Management Agency said.

The exact cause of the fire, which started on the third floor of the four-storey building, was not yet known, police said.

The centre was holding 55 foreigners, mostly Chinese, the ministry said. The rest of the detainees had been rescued and were safe.